Sarah looked around the large pool area feeling lost and very out of place. It was New Years Eve, and the room had been closed off to swimmers and decorated for the holiday party. The lounge area next to the swimming pool was so filled with people getting ready to ring in the new year, that she couldn't even figure out where the girls she had come with were. The atmosphere of the party was typical, she supposed: noisy, crowded, dimly lit, and filled with the ever-present murmur of voices striving to be heard over blaring top-40 music. Not for the first time that evening, she wondered why she had come at all. Several of her co-workers at the nursing home had pestered her until she finally gave in. The party was in a fancy hotel a couple hours from the town they all lived in, and they had rented two rooms together to use as somewhere to change and get a couple of hours of sleep (if possible) before heading back home. Sarah suspected that one reason they had wanted her along was because she didn't drink, which meant that they all could, and she figured that she would most likely have the room to herself when she headed there as soon after midnight as she could manage. The three women she had come with had vanished soon after they had arrived, and there was no telling where any of them were now.
Sarah jumped as she felt a large hand settle on her shoulder. She looked up to see a tall, darkish man of (she guessed) around 30, with short black hair. Even her limited experience with such things was enough to tell her that he was very good-looking and athletic. The fact that he had chosen to come and talk to her made her nervous. The 23 year old nurse was a small girl, a little over 5'2". She had a heart shaped face, long dark blond hair, which fell down almost to her waist, and was kept from slipping into her eyes by a silver colored clip. Her job at the nursing home kept her active, and resulted in a slim body highlighted by full breasts and hips. The deep blue dress she wore had a neckline that was slightly lower than she'd have preferred, but her co-workers had insisted that it was the only dress in her closet that even came close to fitting the atmosphere of the party.
"Hi." he shouted, smiling down at her.
Sarah looked up at him nervously. "Hey," she shouted back trying to sound casual and friendly while yelling above the music.
"So what do you think about the party?" he asked.
She shook her head, "Too loud and too many people. And I haven't been able to find a drink that doesn't have alcohol in it since I got here.
The tall man looked surprised, "You don't drink, or you're doing designated driver duty?"
Sarah smiled back at him for the first time, "Both, actually. I don't drink, and I've got some friends around here somewhere who are expecting me to drive them back home tomorrow morning. We've got rooms here in the hotel, but they said they might not be back before morning. I have no idea what they're planning to do all night."
The man laughed, "I imagine they'll find something. But it sounds like they suckered you good. I've been watching you standing all alone over here. I didn't think you looked as if you cared much for this kind of party."
She grinned back, "Not really, no." Whoever he was, this guy seemed nice enough. At least he was the first person to take the trouble of talking to her since she had arrived. "I'm Sarah, by-the-way." She held out her hand to him.
His large hand engulfed her small one as he shook it, "Nice to meet you, Sarah. I'm James. I'm here with some friends, but like yours, mine seem to have taken off." He seemed to hold onto her hand longer than was absolutely necessary before releasing it.
"Tell you what, why don't I see if I can find something non-alcoholic for you to drink? I think I saw the hotel staff bring out a punch fountain a few minutes ago." He chuckled, "I'll even test it for you to make sure no one's gone and spiked it."
Sarah found herself laughing along with him, "If you don't mind, I'd appreciate that."
James took her arm and helped her make her way through the crush of people and over to the refreshment table. As promised, a large fountain was sending a reddish fruit punch down into a large bowl. He filled a cup with it, and tasted it. He paused thoughtfully, and then filled another cup and handed it to her, "A little too much ginger ale for my taste, I think, but nothing else."
Sarah took the cup and tasted it. She grimaced slightly. He was right; there was a distinct bite to it that she figured must be from the ginger ale. But it was wet and cold, and she was getting very thirsty. She finished the cup he had given her, and filled another.
To her surprise, James stayed with her and kept her talking for nearly an hour, until the large screen TV at one end of the room came to life and showed the revelries in Times Square. He led her to a spot where they could see the screen well, and they watched as the big, lighted ball fell, ushering in the new year. Sarah's face flushed with embarrassment as he took her hand and kissed it, "Happy New Years, Sarah. I hope tonight ends up being at least a little bit fun for you, anyway."
"Th... thank you, James. I really appreciate you coming over to talk to me. It made the evening go a lot faster having someone interesting to talk to." She gave him an apologetic look, "Now that I've seen the ball drop, though, I think I'm going to play the party-pooper, and go up to my room and get some sleep. I kinda doubt if I'll see any of the girls I came with before morning."
He nodded in understanding, "No problem. I enjoyed talking with you tonight. I hated to see a pretty girl standing around alone at a New Year's party."
Sarah blushed even deeper, "Thank you," she said quietly, unsure of what else to say.
James shook her hand again, and they said goodnight.
